Current TV Host Stephanie Miller Allows Salvation Army Official to Lie About its Anti-Gay Positions: VIDEO

Current TV's Stephanie Miller's allowed Major George Hood of the Salvation Army to blatantly lie after she asked him if the organization is anti-gay.

Said Hood:

"Well it’s a great misunderstanding that’s spread across the country, and we’re doing everything we can to re-educate and help people understand that the very mission of the Salvation Army calls for meeting the needs of humans without discrimination…. So discrimination is not something that we would gladly carry the banner or pride over, we want to dispel the notion that we do discriminate when the fact is we’re working very hard not discriminating and it is a part of our mission."

Hood goes on to deny that the organization gives to anti-gay causes or refuses to hire gays.

If you would like examples of the Salvation Army's stance over the years, John Aravosis at Americablog has posted a quite thorough list of them including its statement that homosexuality is "an unacceptable urge", its lobbying against same-sex marriage in the UK and Australia, its threat to stop serving NYC if it had to obey an equal benefits ordinance, and its statement by an official just this year that gays should be put to death.

Comments

Great, great post. I don't understand why much of the media is afraid to use the words "lie" or "liar." They're nouns as much as man, woman or child, and just as easy to prove. When someone in the media gives a liar a platform to lie, they have the responsibility to call them out on the lies. If they don't notice them or don't point them out to their viewers, they aren't smart enough to be in the media.

In John Aravosis blog post, he said it wasn't a through list (yet)..... it was 1am EST when he posted....and he wanted to get his articel posted. I'm sure the list anti-gay list of the SA is longer.

Posted by: HereinDC | Nov 27, 2012 9:31:43 AM

Her fans are OUTRAGED at her defending and promoting the Salvation Army. Like, this is as clear of an indication as can be that there is still so much ignorance and homophobia, even with people we thought were are allies.

Stephanie is so desperate to justify her fundraiser she basically has not only thrown our community under the bus, but she bringing on the Salvation Army official, allowing them to lie, NOT having an LGBT official on air to speak the truth, and then co-signing and repeating the lies by the Salvation Army official. There is going to be hell to pay.

This is the problem we're seeing countrywide. It's similar to the article where Dana Milbank says he's mad FRC was classified a hate group. These religious organizations keep finding ways to sliver their way out of being checked on their hate, they're allowed to lie about their true actions and attitudes, people buy into their lies and thus they keep being allowed to get away with it. Until that changes, homophobia will continue being a major issue.

Posted by: Francis | Nov 27, 2012 9:46:18 AM

She isn't just an ally. She is gay herself

Posted by: Steve | Nov 27, 2012 10:09:53 AM

If she is gay and she let that go unchecked then she should really consider a new position somewhere else where that kind of reporting is acceptable... like Fox News. She has no place on Current. I think an apology and a revised stance made VERY publicly on Current is required to salvage her credibility!

Posted by: CKNJ | Nov 27, 2012 10:22:33 AM

It's truly amazing that even a gay broadcaster let's this lying BS on her own show without challenging it! If we can't depend on the Stephanie Millers in broadcasting to defend us (and herself), how can we take straight MSM talking heads to task for not doing so?

Posted by: HadenoughBS | Nov 27, 2012 10:24:21 AM

We all need to boycott this self hating loser and bombard her Twitter account with messages of protest.

What a terrible, unprofessional journalist she is ! AWFUL.

Posted by: Icebloo | Nov 27, 2012 10:24:23 AM

Does anyone know if her Twitter name is @SMShow. She needs some Tweets from us !

Posted by: Icebloo | Nov 27, 2012 10:28:22 AM

Yes, she's a lesbian, she came out a few years ago. But I thought she was an informed ally to the community. As you all would know, just because you're gay doesn't make you an ally.

But I guess we were all wrong.

Posted by: Francis | Nov 27, 2012 10:34:43 AM

Stephanie has awesome show that's a mix of politics and comedy. I highly suggest everyone try it. I was suspect when I heard her do this George Hood Salvation Army interview. While I don't support boycotting her show (because she's such a great progressive voice), I do think everyone should forward any info and opinions her way to educate her. She's a gay woman who's been an outspoken ally to the gay community. The concept of throwing her under the bus because of this mistake is short-sighted and wrong.

Posted by: Jonathan | Nov 27, 2012 10:51:11 AM

Sometimes the best way for truth to be Revealed is for the Lie to Speak for itself. I don't see anything wrong with the Interview. What I see is Someone being Mocked without them realizing it, Well that is usually how I interpret Interviews such as this one.

Posted by: Mike | Nov 27, 2012 10:52:19 AM

I love Stephanie's show and she has been an unyielding voice in the progressive movement. I just recently heard about this fund raiser and was a little taken back because she herself on the show has mentioned the discrimination from the Salvation Army. I just haven't found time yet to discover why the change of heart. I still support Stephanie and think we need to not be so reactionary.

Posted by: jakeinlove | Nov 27, 2012 11:23:48 AM

How about a change.org petition for Stephanie and/or the Salvation army?

Posted by: RxR | Nov 27, 2012 11:28:55 AM

Everybody knows the Christians real agenda is to destroy the gays anyway they can, lies and money and tricks, mind control you name it, it is all part of their war on gays.

Posted by: Tom | Nov 27, 2012 11:40:06 AM

Stephanie Miller is a great person and a fair person. Cut the BS, OK! If, and I say, if the Salvation Army has issues, well, they also do much good. Cut the CRAP

Posted by: Trover | Nov 27, 2012 11:58:49 AM

Bill Press is in on this, too. P.S. Trover - you can ask people who "also do good" to stop doing harm. You can put the pressure on them,but Stephanie and Bill are endorsing the discrimination while supporting the good.

Posted by: Anne | Nov 27, 2012 12:10:25 PM

First, do no harm.

Posted by: JeffNYC | Nov 27, 2012 12:34:19 PM

These defenders of SA because they do "some good work" Well, Wal-Mart does donate there expiring food to food bank....BUT I STILL won't shop there.

Posted by: HereinDC | Nov 27, 2012 12:38:00 PM

Stephanie Miller is not a journalist--she's a commedian. She's also an open lesbian. And while she is wrong on this people need to step back. She's not evil, she's not hateful. Dial it back.

Posted by: db | Nov 27, 2012 12:38:12 PM

Frankly, the time lines don't even begin to skim the surface of the Salvation Army's anti-gay activities. The public has a short memory indeed. The Salvation Army waged a pitched battle against gay civil rights - the right not to be discriminated against in employment and in public accommodations - in the 1980s. The triumvirate of the Salvation Army, Agudath Israel of America and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York repeatedly sued, ultimately successfully, for the overturning of Mayor Ed Koch's Executive Order 50, banning discrimination on the basis of "sexual orientation or affectional preference" by agencies under contract to the city of New York. The city had initially threatened to refuse to renew $4 million in contracts with the Salvation Army for child-care services because the group rejected the antidiscrimination ban, but relented. No gay man alive in NYC during those times will ever forget that the Salvation Army stood in the way of their basic human rights, while suckling at the teats of the city, taking millions in public funds each year—even if Stephanie Miller has forgotten.

At the time, the Salvation Army claimed, as it does now, that it does not discriminate. But it also clarified that it would not hire a person to head a day care center if he were gay and the Salvation Army found out. The Salvation Army didn't discriminate (it thought) because it didn't "ask".

Posted by: Vint | Nov 27, 2012 12:44:11 PM

When I heard their pitch for that organization this morning, I was shocked. I mean, how can they NOT know about its history?

So disappointed. I just hope enough people complain to her so she gets the message.

Her producer Chris who is obviously a WEHO clone sat right there and said nothing.

Posted by: Cubscoutii | Nov 27, 2012 2:20:19 PM

The best thing to do is call her up during her program and let her know (calmly and directly, without insulting her) what the real situation is with the Salvation Army. Explain that whatever "good" they do must be judged against the very real harm they cause and it is very disheartening to see her support a group that actively seeks to deny her her rights.

She has repeatedly said that she cannot understand why gays would support candidates that vote against them and she really needs to think why she is any different when it comes to the Salvation Army: She is "voting," as it were, against her own interests.